Wisconsin Personal Auto Insurance Explanation of Coverage and Terms

The information below is basic information about Wisconsin personal auto insurance. Coverra agents are available to answer any questions you may have about personal auto insurance. Our offices are conveniently located in Sparta, Tomah, Holmen and Black River Falls, Wisconsin.

Bodily Injury Liability (BI)

This coverage does not protect you or your car directly. If you cause an accident injuring other people, it protects you against their claims up to the stated amounts for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering and other losses. It will also usually pay if the accident was caused by a member of your family living with you or a person using your own auto with your consent. It does not pay for bodily injury you may sustain.

Property Damage Liability (PD)

Property damage liability coverage pays for any damage to the property of others up to the stated amount provided by the policy (i.e., a crushed fender, broken glass, or a damaged wall or fence). Your insurance will pay for this damage if you were driving your auto or if it was being driven by another person with your consent.

Medical Payments or Medical Expense

Medical Payments coverage pays the medical expenses of the policyholder and any of the passengers injured by the insured automobile, irrespective of who was responsible for the accident. In addition, it pays the medical expenses of the policyholder and members of the immediate family injured while passengers in any other automobile or when struck by an automobile.

Effective November 1, 2009, Wisconsin Insurance Law has changed. The minimum required limit for Auto Medical Payments coverage increases to $10,000. You can reject Auto Medical Payments coverage in writing.

Also, effective November 1, 2009, the Auto Medical Payments limit can be increased (stacked) if an insured is injured by a vehicle as a pedestrian. The increased (stacked) limit is based on the number of vehicles carrying Auto Medical Payments coverage and is limited to a maximum of three. This change cannot be rejected or prohibited.

Uninsured Motorist (UM)

Uninsured motorists (UM) coverage applies to bodily injury you, your family, and other occupants of your vehicle incur when hit by an uninsured motorist or hit-and-run driver. It also covers you and your family if injured as a pedestrian when struck by an uninsured motorist or hit-and-run driver. Uninsured motorist coverage does not cover your property damage and does not protect the other driver.

Effective November 1, 2009, the minimum required limit for Auto Uninsured Motorist coverage increases to $100,000 per person/$300,000 per accident split limits. Auto Uninsured Motorist limits can be increased (stacked) in the event of a covered loss. The increased (stacked) limit is based on the number of vehicles carrying the Auto Uninsured Motorist coverage and is limited to a maximum of three. The coverage cannot be rejected or prohibited.

Underinsured Motorist (UIM)

Underinsured motorists (UIM) coverage increases the bodily injury protection to you and the people in your car up to the amount of coverage you purchase. It becomes effective when the party causing an accident has lower bodily injury liability limits than your UIM limits. The maximum dollars paid is then the difference between the two limits.

For example, assume the UIM limits selected were $100,000 per person and the person causing the accident had bodily injury limits of $50,000 per person. Under this scenario, you could collect up to $50,000 from the at-fault driver and up to an additional $50,000 (the difference in limits) under your own UIM coverage.

Effective November 1, 2009, Auto Underinsured Motorist Coverage becomes mandatory and cannot be rejected. The minimum required limit fo Auto Underinsured Motorist coverage increases effective November 1, 2009 to $100,000 per person/$300,000 per accident split limits. Auto Underinsured Motorist limits can be increased (stacked) in the event of a covered loss. The increased (stacked) limit is based on the number of vehicles carrying the Auto Underinsured Motorist coverage and is limited to a maximum of three. The coverage cannot be rejected or prohibited.

Collision

Collision coverage pays for physical damage to your vehicle caused by your vehicle colliding with an object, including another car or if it overturns. In the event of an accident, collision coverage will pay to repair your vehicle up to the amount equal to the value of the vehicle before the accident. Your own insurer will pay for such damage even if the collision is your fault.

Comprehensive

Comprehensive (also called other than collision) coverage pays for damage to your vehicle resulting from fire, vandalism, water, hail, glass breakage, wind, falling objects, civic commotion, or hitting a bird or an animal. Damage from striking a deer is a relatively frequent accident in Wisconsin. It is important to know that most policies cover hitting an animal under comprehensive, not collision insurance.

Comprehensive coverage also pays if your vehicle or parts of it, such as a battery or tires, are stolen. Flood damage to your car is also covered if your auto insurance policy includes comprehensive coverage. If you carry collision without comprehensive, you are not covered for flood damage.

Emergency Road Service

Originally referred to as Towing and Labor coverage, this is an optional coverage, that varies by insurance company, but generally refers to coverage agreements that respond to risks of the road such as dealing with dead batteries, flat tires, towing charges, locksmith services, etc.

Rental Reimbursement

Rental Reimbursement coverage is an optional personal auto coverage endorsement to provide reimbursement for the expenses incurred by an insured when a temporary replacement vehicle is needed following a covered accident to the insured's vehicle.

Providing you complete insurance coverage from our 3 offices located in Sparta, Tomah, and Holmen, Wisconsin.